Fluid pressure generation



9 R. M. NARDONE 2,3U4fi8 FLUID PRESSURE GENERATION Original Filed Sept. 12, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Romeo M Nara/one Dec. &, 1942. R. M. NARDONE 2,304,588

FLUID PRESSURE GENERATION Original Filed Sept. 12, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Fi'o/neo M Wardens RNEY.

Patented cc. 8, 1942 FL PRESSURE GENERATION Romeo M. Nat-done, Westwood, N. 3., .assignor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, limit, a corporation of Delaware Original application September 12, 1940, Serial No. 356,547, now Patent No. 2,258,161, dated October 7, 1941. Divided and this application September 6, 1941, Serial No. 409,893

3 illaims.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel cartridge housing or breach mechanism including a novel control of the opening, closing and locking of the breech mechanism, and a novel inter-relationship of parts whereby ignition of the combustible material occurs simultaneously with the locking of the breech mechanism in closed position.

A further object is to provide means for retarding the full opening of the breech mechanism, after firing of the cartridge; such retardation affording a time interval during which any residual gases in the breech chamber may escape, while the cartridge casing itself remains securely held within the mechanism due to the lack of a full opening through which expulsion could occur. In this connection a feature of the invention is the utilization of the residual fluid pressure itself as the means for establishing a venting path around the cartridge casing, in response to an unlocking and partial opening of the breech. This mode of releasing residual pressure has the important advantage of being efiective without the need of special valve means, as has heretofore been resorted to for corresponding venting purposes. (See, for examples, the valve 68 of the Coifman Patent No. 2,164,700, and the valve 104 of my Patent No. 2,207,936.)

These and other objects and features of the invention will become apparent upon examination of the following specification and the aceompanying drawings wherein is shown the preierred embodiment thereof. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are merely illustrative of the invention and that they are intended to cover equivalent embodiments falling within the invention scope as defined in the appended claims.

in the drawings,

Fig. l is a view in perspective of a breech mechanism embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation showing one end of the breech mechanism, with the breech block swung to the full open position with respect to the breech proper or barrel;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the breech barrel of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a diagram view illustrating the successive stages of movement of the operating handle and the efiect thereof;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are elevation views showin the locking head of the breech lock in successive stages of operation and its relationship to the cooperating portions of the breech frame during the said successive stages of operation;

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are views at rightangles to the viewpoint of Figs. 5, 6 and 7 showing the.

parts in the relationships depicted in Figs. 5; 6 and 7, respectively;

Fig. 11 is a central sectional view through the breech block;

Fig. 12 is a view in elevation of a portion of the switch mechanism shown in Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is another view in elevation of said switch mechanism but with the parts in difierent relative positions; and

Fig. 14 is a partial sectional .view, along line i i-it of Fig. 11.

In the drawings, reference character 55 indicates the barrel or cartridge receiving portion of the breech, reference character it the breech burning chamber in which the gases are generated and from which they pass through a suitable outlet, lGa, to the point of use; reference character I! designates a substantial rectangular frame portion in which the barrel t5 terminates at one end, and reference character it designates the breech block as a whole, the said block being pivotally mounted in the frame t7 along the axis of the bearing elements, one of which is indicated at it in Figs. 1 and 2. The breech block is in turn provided with bearing surfaces to receive a locking pin rotatable therein and terminating in the locking head 2| which is adapted to be swung by the operating handle 22 to assume locking relationship with the retaining leg 23 of the frame ll. For best understanding or the efiect of the retainer leg 23 as a restraint upon the locking head 22!, reference to Fig. 5 will show that the fully closed position of the breech block brings the locking head 25 behind the retainer leg 23 and in such relationship thereto that no movement between the breech block it on the one hand, and the breech frame it on the other, is possible, and therefore the barrel it of the breech is completely sealed by the tight contact existing between the barrel mouth 28, and the sealing lip 29 in this position. This is, of course, the operating or firing position; the firing of the cartridge being efiected by the electrical contact mechanism to be described hereinafter, which contact mechanism becomes operative automatically in this fully locked position as will hereinafter be explained.

After the firing operation has occurred, with resultant combustion of the solid fuel of the cartridge and the discharge through the outlet of the gases generated in the chamber It, the next step is to open the breech block to cause ejection of the cartridge casing or shell from which the fuel has now been exhausted, but if the breech block were allowed to be swung immediately to the full open position shown in Fig. 2, there would arise the dangerous possibility that the cartridge shell might be expelled with considerable velocity by reason of the pressure that might remain in the forward portion of the barrel due to residual gases therein, which pressure could conceivably react upon the cartridge shell to expel it forcibly past the open breech block and therefore into contact with the breech operator or other person who might happen to be occupying the position directly behind the open breech. To prevent this occurrence the present invention provides means whereby the breech block may be flung to a position which, while permitting escape of any such residual gases and the partial dislodgement of the cartridge shell, will at the same time prevent a complete dislodgement thereof; the complete dislodgement being delayed until the operator reverses the direction of rotation of the operating handle 22--such reversal being at the same time made dependent upon a preceding linear shifting of the handlewherefore there is necessarily involved a time interval of suficient duration to assure the escape of all residual gases and therefore the release of any such pressures as would cause a forcible ejection of the shell with sumceint velocity to inJure any person in the vicinity. Referring to Fig. 4 it will be seen that the position of the handle indicated by the reference character I represents diagrammatically the fully locked position of the breech, in which position the locking head 2! is in relationship to the retainer leg 23 as indicated in Figs. 5 and 8. Movement of the handle from this position i to position 2 brings the locking head 2! into the relationship indicated in Figs. 6 and 9. When in this position it is possible to draw the handle backwardly as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 4 from the position labeled 2 to the position labeled 2. During such backward movement the locking head 2| passes downwardly as viewed in Fig. 9 from the position therein to a lower position, the extent of such backward movement being indicated by the two lines labeled 2 and 2 in Fig. 9. This is of course not a downward movement as viewed in Fig. 1 but actually a movement to the right sufiiciently to establish a gap between the sealing ring 29 of the breech block and the barrel mouth 22, and suficiently also to permit the ejector arm 33 and 2d of the associated fingers 36 and 31 to lift the cartridge shell from its seat on the mouth 28 of the barrel and thereby establish a circumferential path around said shell through which anyresidual gases may escape to the atmosphere by reason of the slight gap between the breech block and the barrel frame. Before this gap increases, however, it will be necessary 'to swing the barrel lever 22 from the position indicated in Fig. 6 to the position indicated in Fig. '7, for until this is done the beveled portion 2| of the locking head 2i will not clear the beveled lip 32 which is shown as formed on the second dependent leg of the frame ii at a point approximately 180 degrees asoat of the handle there is no further opening movement of the breech block, but when such swing has been complete-4n other words when the handle reaches the position diagrammatically indicated at t in Fig. 4. The breech block may then be carried backward and upward, by the exertion of pressure in a corresponding direction by the lever 22, and into the full open position indiacted in Fig. 2. From this full open position a further upward swing (through the angle indicated at E in Fig. 2) will actuate the ejector arms 32 and M to lift the shell out. there being no remaining pressure behind the shell as all gases have previously escaped during the time interval elapsing between the movement of the handle from position 2 (Fig. 4) successively to positions 3 and d. It will be observed that each of these movements is in a different direction and therefore necessitates a delay on the part of the operator, the human reflexes being such that a person cannot possibly effect these several changes in direction of muscular exertion without necessarily involving a time delay suiiicient to permit the escape of all residual gases in the barrel It.

As heretofore noted the cartridge which is placed in the barrel it when the breech block is I in the open position indicated at Fig. 2, is adaptopposite the retainer leg 22. During such swing w ed to be fired automatically upon closure of the breech block, and the swinging of the handle 22 to the locked position shown in Figs. 5 and 8 also diagrammatically at l in Fig. 4. As shown, the firing mechanism includes a pair of contact elements 5! and 52, the former being registrable with an insulated seat in a conductor 53 (Figs. 1 and 3) extending through the upper portion of the breech frame l1 and adapted to be placed in circuit with a suitable source of low voltage current, not shown, while the contact 52 is adapted to complete the circuit through the metallic portions of the cartridge shell in substantially the manner indicated in my Patent No. 2,207,936 above referred to, the connection between the pins 5i and 52 being provided for in such manner as to operate to establish such connection only when the operating lever 22 is swung to the locking position of Fig. 5. When in said locking position it is disposed horizontally, as indicated both in Fig. 5 and in Fig. 12, and in moving to this horizontal position from the position indicated in Fig. 13 it causes the breeching element M which is of suitable current-conducting material, to move from the position indicated in Fig. 13 to the position indicated in Fig. 12, in which position it establishes a current path between the pin El and pin 52, the relationship being also indicated in Fig. 11. To produce such movement the connecting element M is shown as pivotally supported upon the bearing surface of the pin 52, the latter being mounted in the insulating block lit, and the lower portion of the element iii is extending to cooperate with a depression in an actuating disk or cam 66 of insulating material, which is actuated by the arm 22 to be rotatedthereby in the bearing socket 611 of the breech block in which the said arm 22 and disk tit are journaled by suitable means as indicated at til. Upon unlocking of the breech block the contact element 6i will of course be swung back to the position indicated in Fig. 13, thereby rendering the firing circuit inoperative until insertion of a fresh cartridge and the relocking of the breech. A spring 69 is mounted in a recess in the breech block and is suitably insulated therein, as indicated at ii, the purpose of the spring being to insure good contact between the pin 52 and the cartridge shell when the breech is in the locked position. In order to render it unnecessary for .the breech element to swing through as large an are as that which is traversed by the handle 22 there is a lost motion relationship therebetween in the form of the arcuate slot 12 the limits of which are indicated at dash lines in Figs. 12 and 13 and the length of which slot is such that the arm 22 causes movement of the disk only when it has arrived within approximately lll or 15 degrees of its full locked position; the disk 66 being frictionally held against movement until such time by suitable detent means as indicated at M engageable with a stationary portion of the block.

This application is a division of my copending application No. 356,547, filed September 12, 1940 now Patent No. 2,258,161 of October 7, 1941.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with an open ended breech barrel, a hinged breech block movable into sealing relationship to the open end of said breech barrel, operating means for said breech block,

said means including a lever pivotally mounted on said breech block, to swing said block from a position which seals the open end of the barrel to a position which fully exposes said open end, means for limiting the free swing of said lever, in each direction of movement thereof, to a distance that is less than suificient to fully expose the open end of the barrel, switch means movable with said lever, and means including said switch means for igniting a powder charge in said barrel.

2. In combination with an open ended breech barrel, a hinged breech block movable into seal ing relationship to the open end of said breech barrel, cooperating means on said breech block and barrel for delaying the full exposure of the open end of the barrel, after partial opening of the breech block, said means including a lever pivotally mounted on said breech block, to swing said block from a position which seals the open end of the barrel to a position which fully exposes said open end, switch means mounted within said breech block and movable with said lever, and means including said switch means for igniting a powder charge in said barrel.

3. In combination with an open ended breech barrel adapted to receive a cartridge, a hinged breech block-movable into sealing relationship to the open end of said breech barrel, operating means for said breech block, said means including a lever pivotally mounted on said breech block, switch means movable with said lever, and means including said switch means for igniting a powder charge in said barrel, said igniting means further including a pair of contact pins one of which is the igniter of the cartridge and the other of which is in spaced parallel relationship thereto, but beyond the periphery of the breech barrel, so as to facilitate connection with an external source of current, and a bridging element movable about the axis of said igniter pin to electrically connect it with the other.

l'tOMEO M. NARDONE. 

